Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh
This paper reflects on the importance of Edinburgh’s Lawnmarket and Castlehill area in the context of the 1843 Disruption which saw the separation of the Free Church from the Established Church of Scotland mainly over the issue of the Church’s relationship with the State. Edinburgh’s Holy Corner, as...
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| Udgivet i: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles, |
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprog: | Anglais |
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Angles
2020
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| Online adgang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_2302 |
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openedition |
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OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
Écosse urbanisme Édimbourg architecture 19e siècle église histoire de l’Église Scotland Edinburgh architecture urban design nineteenth century church Church history |
| spellingShingle |
Écosse urbanisme Édimbourg architecture 19e siècle église histoire de l’Église Scotland Edinburgh architecture urban design nineteenth century church Church history Desmarest, Clarisse Godard Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| description |
This paper reflects on the importance of Edinburgh’s Lawnmarket and Castlehill area in the context of the 1843 Disruption which saw the separation of the Free Church from the Established Church of Scotland mainly over the issue of the Church’s relationship with the State. Edinburgh’s Holy Corner, as it is colloquially known, refers to the Bruntsfield and Morningside junction with four churches; but this paper argues that by the mid-19th century the Lawnmarket area was an even ‘holier’ corner. Within a discrete area west of St Giles — Edinburgh’s Cathedral — and almost touching one another were built the Church of Scotland’s headquarters at Victoria Hall (or Old Tolbooth Church; today, ‘The Hub’), and for the Free Church, its headquarters at New College. These two buildings alone (other churches were constructed in closest proximity) show that for both organisations, Edinburgh in its old role as the national capital was deemed vital. This national importance was here emphasised (or resurrected) and intentionally exploited by each organisation for the purpose of demonstrating its own historical legitimacy and validity, each regarding itself as the national Church continuing. That it was not simply Edinburgh, but the Old Town, which was chosen, emphasised yet further the heritage, continuity and historic validity claimed by the two ‘ancient’ Churches; the Tron Church was a lesser ornament, as the fire of 1824 had diminished its prestige of antiquity. A major — if perhaps inadvertent — consequence was that the Old Town’s renewal was now securely in hand thanks to these competing churches; and all following the effective reincarnation in dressed ashlar of St Giles in the 1830s by William Burn. Both organisations being based in Edinburgh made the city not simply the two Churches’ national headquarters, but also, given the impact of missionary work and Empire, the international hub to which every congregation looked to for leadership and support. By focusing on a small area at the very heart of the Old Town of Edinburgh, this paper brings together a key moment of ecclesiastical history, whose significance goes well beyond Edinburgh itself, with important developments in urban design and architectural history. |
| author |
Desmarest, Clarisse Godard |
| author_facet |
Desmarest, Clarisse Godard |
| author_sort |
Desmarest, Clarisse Godard |
| title |
Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| title_short |
Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| title_full |
Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| title_fullStr |
Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh |
| title_sort |
churches, city and national identity in mid-19th century edinburgh |
| publisher |
Angles |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.2302 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/angles/2302 |
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1877293836224430080 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_2302 https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.2302 urn:doi:10.4000/angles.2302 en https://journals.openedition.org/angles/2302 2020-11-11T01:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/9n0z https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Churches, City and National Identity in Mid-19th Century Edinburgh Angles Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2274-2042 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles Desmarest, Clarisse Godard Écosse urbanisme Édimbourg architecture 19e siècle église histoire de l’Église Scotland Edinburgh architecture urban design nineteenth century church Church history This paper reflects on the importance of Edinburgh’s Lawnmarket and Castlehill area in the context of the 1843 Disruption which saw the separation of the Free Church from the Established Church of Scotland mainly over the issue of the Church’s relationship with the State. Edinburgh’s Holy Corner, as it is colloquially known, refers to the Bruntsfield and Morningside junction with four churches; but this paper argues that by the mid-19th century the Lawnmarket area was an even ‘holier’ corner. Within a discrete area west of St Giles — Edinburgh’s Cathedral — and almost touching one another were built the Church of Scotland’s headquarters at Victoria Hall (or Old Tolbooth Church; today, ‘The Hub’), and for the Free Church, its headquarters at New College. These two buildings alone (other churches were constructed in closest proximity) show that for both organisations, Edinburgh in its old role as the national capital was deemed vital. This national importance was here emphasised (or resurrected) and intentionally exploited by each organisation for the purpose of demonstrating its own historical legitimacy and validity, each regarding itself as the national Church continuing. That it was not simply Edinburgh, but the Old Town, which was chosen, emphasised yet further the heritage, continuity and historic validity claimed by the two ‘ancient’ Churches; the Tron Church was a lesser ornament, as the fire of 1824 had diminished its prestige of antiquity. A major — if perhaps inadvertent — consequence was that the Old Town’s renewal was now securely in hand thanks to these competing churches; and all following the effective reincarnation in dressed ashlar of St Giles in the 1830s by William Burn. Both organisations being based in Edinburgh made the city not simply the two Churches’ national headquarters, but also, given the impact of missionary work and Empire, the international hub to which every congregation looked to for leadership and support. By focusing on a small area at the very heart of the Old Town of Edinburgh, this paper brings together a key moment of ecclesiastical history, whose significance goes well beyond Edinburgh itself, with important developments in urban design and architectural history. Cet article s’interroge sur l’importance de Lawnmarket et de Castlehill, à Édimbourg, dans le contexte de la « Grand Rupture » (ou Disruption) de 1843 qui a vu la séparation de la Free Church de l’Église établie d’Écosse (Kirk) — principalement sur la question des relations de l’Église avec l’État. Le Holy Corner d’Édimbourg, comme on l’appelle familièrement, fait référence à la jonction entre Bruntsfield et Morningside et à ses quatre églises ; cet article affirme pourtant que le Lawnmarket était un endroit encore plus « saint » au milieu du 19e siècle. Dans une zone clairement identifiable, à l’ouest de l’église Saint Gilles, la Cathédrale d’Édimbourg, et presque se touchant les uns aux autres, étaient construits le siège de l’Église d’Écosse (Kirk) à Victoria Hall (ou Old Tobooth Church ; aujourd’hui The Hub) et celui de la Free Church à New College. Ces bâtiments (d’autres églises étaient construites à proximité) montrent que, pour les deux institutions, le rôle ancien d’Édimbourg en tant que capitale nationale était jugé essentiel. Cette importance nationale était ici soulignée (ou réactivée) et intentionnellement exploitée par chaque institution dans le but de démontrer sa propre légitimité historique et son fondement, chacune se considérant comme la continuité de l’Église nationale. Le fait que ce n’était pas simplement Édimbourg, mais la Vieille Ville, qui était choisie, soulignait encore davantage les valeurs d’héritage, de continuité et de légitimité historique revendiquées par les deux « anciennes » Églises ; la Tron Church devenait, à l’inverse, un élément moins important du paysage urbain à la suite de l’incendie de 1824. Une conséquence majeure, quoique sans doute fortuite, était que le renouveau de la Vieille Ville était désormais solidement en marche grâce à la construction d’églises concurrentes ; et le tout intervenait après la création d’une belle enveloppe en pierre de taille pour l’église St Gilles par l’architecte William Burn dans les années 1830. Les deux organisations basées à Édimbourg faisaient de la ville non seulement le siège national des deux Églises, mais aussi, compte tenu de l’impact du travail missionnaire et de l’Empire, le centre international vers lequel chaque congrégation en quête de sens et de soutien pouvait donc se tourner. En se concentrant sur une très petite zone au cœur même de la Vieille Ville d’Édimbourg, cet article met en lumière un moment clé de l’histoire ecclésiastique dont la signification dépasse Édimbourg, et dont les répercussions sont importantes pour l’histoire urbaine et l’histoire de l’architecture. |